Community Help

 Kennewick Food Bank

A small group of local folks will be coming down to the Kennewick food bank to help out with the holiday backlog of organizing which has built up down there, this Friday, January 27th from 11 am to 1 pm.  

If you would like to represent your friends your family your neighbors and your peers by coming down to help us, join us at 810 E Chemical and bring a can of food, help us sort the foodbank for a few hours on Friday morning.

Yours in Red, White and True,

Uncle James

Lincoln Day Dinner 2012

 Hello friends,

We would like to announce the annual 2012 Franklin County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner.

Our annual celebratory dinner for honoring Abraham Lincoln and the great United States of America will be taking place on Saturday the 11th of February.

Please join us on Saturday, February 11, 2012 for an evening of observations, insight with key candidates and legislators, camaraderie with the area's top involved members, and more.  We will be meeting at the Holiday Inn Express Vineyard Ballroom at the TRAC.  Plan to join us to REPRESENT your friends, your family, your coworkers and your loved ones.  Please be prepared to register early for a discounted price.  Forms and prices will be sent in early January.

We have a number of confirmed speakers attending including Gubernatorial Candidate Shahram Hadian, General Counsel of the Freedom Foundation and Director of the Freedom Foundation’s Constitutional Law Center, Mike Reitz with more great announcements to come!

Mark your calendars so you don't miss this historic event, and stay tuned for our complete line up of guest speakers.  Please bookmark this page where we will continue to update the information on this event.

We look forward to sharing this evening with you!

Thank you,

Curt Mohr

By now you should have received your invitation, but if you haven't, let us know at 509-723-4581.
 

___________________________________________________________

We will be serving your choice of:

Broiled Top Sirloin Steak
Broiled over Open Flames and Paired with a
Bleu Cheese sauce and Roasted Anna Potatoes.

Southwestern Chicken Cordon Bleu
Lightly Breaded Chicken Stuffed with Mild
Anaheim Chilies and Pepper Jack Cheese,
Roasted Anna Potatoes.

Vegetable Wellington
Flaky Puff Pasty Stuffed with Ricotta Cheese,
Mushrooms, Zucchini, Thin Sliced Leeks, and
Baked Golden, Drizzled with Hollandaise.

Dinner is Served with Tossed Salad with ranch, and dessert will be a delightful Tiramisu cake.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites at TRAC 4525 Convention Place
Holiday Inn Vineyard Ballroom
North Entrance, facing Burden Boulevard

________________________________________________________

Senator Mike Hewitt

   Elected to the state Senate in 2000, 2004 and 2008, Senator Mike Hewitt represents Washington’s 16th Legislative District, a community he has been connected to for a lifetime. In 2005, Senator Hewitt’s peers first elected him to serve as leader of the Senate Republican Caucus. Prior to that time he served as Senate Republican Whip, Majority Whip and Republican Assistant Whip.

    Senator Hewitt serves on several standing Senate committees. He is a member of the Ways and Means (budget) Committee, the Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee and the Labor, Commerce, Research and Development Committee. He is also the lead Republican on the Rules Committee, a group that decides which bills make it to the Senate floor and potentially go on to become law. He also serves on various other committees, including the governor’s Thrive by Five (early education) Committee.

   Senator Hewitt’s experience as a small business owner for 23 years serves as an excellent foundation for his work on business and economic development issues. He is a member of the Legislative Committee on Economic Development, the state Tourism Commission, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Trade Policy, and the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB).

   Senator Hewitt is also a former chairman of the Walla Walla Planning Commission and has received the Association of Washington Business’s “Cornerstone” award and the Washington Association of Small Business Incubators’ Small Business Advocate of the Year award. In 2009, Senator Hewitt received the highest honor bestowed on legislators by the Association of Washington Business – the Jim Matson Award for "demonstrating time and again his first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by Washington employers."

   Senator Hewitt also has a passion for veterans’ issues, In 2007 and 2008 he sponsored bills to allow family members of fallen and disabled veterans to attend college tuition-free, and recently received the Glenn Galbreath Spirit Award from the Northwest Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans.

   Senator Hewitt also works closely with the Hispanic Community and has received the Dr. Pedro Celis FUERZA award. He is a member of the Washington Republican National Hispanic Assembly.
When the Legislature is not in session, Senator Hewitt resides in Walla Walla with his wife Cory, who manages the county fairgrounds. They have two grown sons.  Legislative Leadership: Senate Republican Leader, 2005-10; Senate Republican Whip, 2005; Majority Whip, 2003-04; Republican Assistant Whip, 2001-02.

 

________________________________________________________

Representative Susan Fagan, 9th Legislative District, WA House of Representatives

Representative Susan Fagan was elected in a special election in November 2009 and served her first session earlier this year.  She serves on the following House committees: Education; Local Government and Housing; Health & Human Services Appropriations; and Audit Review and Oversight.

Ten-year career at SEL working on a broad array of issues including stormwater regulations, the state death tax, agricultural zoning and property rights, health care/health insurance legislation, Workers' Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, workforce development, climate change and energy with an emphasis on a healthy economy and a competitive business environment.

Staff to the United States Senate helping constituents cut through the red tape of government. Focused on issues such as protection of the Lower Snake River dams, private property rights including a case that went to the US Supreme Court, public access to federal lands, reauthorization of the Farm Bill and the Transportation Bill. Worked hand-in-hand with the American Farm Bureau, National Association of Wheatgrowers, The Fertilizer Institute, the National Association of County Officials and a long list of local and state organizations and industries.

Foundation in production agriculture raising wheat, barley, peas and lentils including a cow-calf operation.

Former member of the Association of Washington Business (AWB) where she was a member of the board and the Executive Committee and served as chairman of the AWB Health Care Committee. Member of the Washington Farm Bureau, the Colfax, Othello, Pomeroy, Clarkston and Pullman chambers of commerce.

________________________________________________________

Shahram Hadian, Gubernatorial Candidate

Shahram was born in Iran and came to America at the age of 7 to escape an oppressive Islamic regime.  He is a proud US citizen. He experienced a transformational life change when he gave his life to Christ 12 years ago and was called to ministry as a Christian pastor. When he became a Christian, he immediately faced the persecution and disapproval of his family and culture, and according to Islam became an apostate. He has served his local community as a pastor, police officer, teacher and coach and recently was a candidate for WA State Representative in the 44th Legislative District. 

Mr. Hadian has been travelling around the country speaking with the TIL (Truth In Love) Project, talking about his background as a former Muslim, educating people on the true goal of Islam and the threat of Shari'ah law.

Hadian was born in Iran, and moved to the US at the age of seven. He has lived in the Pacific Northwest region for the past 28 years. He graduated from Puget Sound Christian College with a B.A. in Biblical studies, and has served his local community as a pastor for the last 9 years. He also graduated from the Washington Law Enforcement Academy and served as a Police Officer for the City of Redmond. Hadian’s passion for education has grown through his personal work as a teacher both in a school setting and as a tennis professional, and through his wife’s experience as a local second grade teacher.

Hadian considers himself a strong conservative leader and an independent thinker. His campaign’s top priorities include: job creation, supporting small businesses, prioritizing education, smaller government, creating safer communities, and increasing civic involvement.

Hadian’s campaign has been gaining momentum with recent endorsements from the Snohomish County Republican Party, Washington State Farm Bureau Political Action Committee, as well as a number of county and state elected officials.

________________________________________________________

Michael Reitz

 Michael Reitz is General Counsel of the Freedom Foundation and Director of the Freedom Foundation’s Constitutional Law Center. He is a member of the Washington and California bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His research has been published and cited by the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Seattle Times and other publications. His television appearances include King 5’s Up Front and The Glenn Beck Show on Fox News. He is a co-author of To Protect and Maintain Individual Rights, a reference guide to the Declaration of Rights in the Washington Constitution, and he maintains the Supreme Court of Washington Blog. Michael is a graduate of the Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy.

Michael also serves as a board member of the Washington Coalition for Open Government and sits on the executive committee of the Puget Sound Chapter of the Federalist Society.
 ________________________________________________

You may download the mail-in confirmation sheet by visiting this address:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c378/doomworm/franklincountyrepublicans/DownloadableOrderForm.jpg

You MUST right click the form, then "save as," and then print it out.

We hope to see you there on February 11th with us!

Net Neutrality

PIPA & SOPA

 One of the greatest discussions of the last decade has revolved around Net Neutrality, the concept of the internet being open to all people to use as they would like.  We're getting ready to move away from a free internet, and few people in this community are aware of the struggle.

Today an organized protest occurred to bring attention of the circumstances of the current round of legislation aimed at reducing the freedom of the internet.  This is essentially a situation of Walmart suing Nickel Nick ads for reducing their potential sales of new products via resales...

There is a lot to this subject and I'm no expert although I've followed it for years.  Today craigslist.org "relocated" their site, placing an appeal to the public up in its place.  Google also joined in, amongst others such as my personal bane Reddit, and Ron Paul himself.

Above, Google's logo for the day.  Never saw them being a role model for anything I would approve of...


Here is the craigslist material, it is a great jumping off point on the subject...
________________________________________________________________________

Corporate supporters of Senate 968 (PIPA) and HR 3261 (SOPA) demand the ability to take down any web site (including craigslist, Wikipedia, or Google) that hurts their profits -- without prior judicial oversight or due process  -- in the name of combating "online piracy."
PIPA and SOPA authors and supporters insist they'd only go after foreign piracy sites, but Internet Engineers understand this is an attempt to impose "Big Brother" controls on our Internet, complete with DNS hijacking and censoring search results. Incredibly, many Congress Members favor this idea.
Try to imagine jack-booted thugs throttling free speech, poisoning the Internet (greatest of American inventions, the very pillar of modern democracy), and devastating one of the our most successful industries. Totalitarian, anti-American, massively-job-killing nonsense.
Tell Congress you OPPOSE Senate 968 "Protect IP Act" (PIPA) and H.R. 3261 "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA):

• Phone your Member of Congress via nifty Progressive Change app
• Contact Senators who are refusing to meet with constituents about PIPA.
• Reverse Robocall pro-PIPA & pro-SOPA MOC + Lobbyists (More at Ars Technica)
• EFF Action Center - Strike Against Censorship - Congressional Emailer
• ECA Congressional Emailer - Don't Censor Our Internet!
• OpenCongress Congressional Emailer - Oppose SOPA
• Generic Congressional Emailer (You'll need your Zip+4)
• Petition Congress - Protect Innovation, Dump SOPA (Progressive Change )
• Outside the US? Sign Petition Opposing US Censorship of Global Sites (EFF)

Supporters of PIPA and SOPA: RIAA, MPAA, News Corp, TimeWarner, Walmart, Nike, Tiffany, Chanel, Rolex, Sony, Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, VISA, Mastercard, Comcast, ABC, Dow Chemical, Monster Cable, Teamsters, Rupert Murdoch, Lamar Smith (R-TX), John Conyers (D-MI)
Opponents of PIPA and SOPA: Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, craigslist, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, eBay, AOL, Mozilla, Reddit, Tumblr, Etsy, Zynga, EFF, ACLU, Human Rights Watch, Darrell Issa (R-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Ron Paul (R-TX)
Where does your Member of Congress stand on PIPA and SOPA? (Project SOPA Opera)
PIPA and SOPA Are Too Dangerous To Revise, They Must Be Killed Entirely 
Congress needs to hear from you, or these dangerous bills will pass - they have tremendous lobbying dollars behind them, from corporations experts say are attempting to prop up outdated, anti-consumer business models at the expense of the very fabric of the Internet -- recklessly unleashing a tsunami of take-down notices and litigation, and a Pandora's jar of "chilling effects" and other unintended (or perhaps intended?) consequences.
Don't believe it? Monster Cable has labeled craigslist a "rogue site," earmarked for blacklisting and full-takedown under PIPA -- resale of stereo cables by CL users reduces Monster 's new cable sales. (reddit).
There is still time to be heard. Congress is starting to backpedal on this job-killing, anti-American nonsense, and the Obama administration has weighed in against these bills as drafted, but SOPA/PIPA cannot be fixed or revised -- they must be killed altogether.
Sen Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep Ron Wyden (D-OR) are championing an alternative to SOPA/PIPA called Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) that addresses foreign sites dedicated to piracy, without disrupting basic Internet protocols, or threatening mainstream US sites like craigslist.
Tim O'Reilly, a publisher who is himself subject to piracy, asks whether piracy is even a problem, and whether there is even a legitimate need for any of these bills.
Learn more about SOPA, Protect IP (PIPA), and Internet Blacklisting:

• Growing Chorus of Opposition to PIPA and SOPA
• Open Letter against SOPA from 83 Prominent Internet Engineers
• Why SOPA and Protect IP (PIPA) are Bad, Bad Ideas (Techdirt)
• Piracy not a problem, PIPA and SOPA are unnecessary (Tim O'Reilly on GigaOM)
• PIPA and SOPA News (Google News)
• PIPA Wikipedia entry ::::: SOPA Wikipedia entry
• SOPA FAQ (CNET)

_______________________________________________________________

Yours in Red, White and True,

Uncle James

Preserving PCOs

Precinct Committee Officers are important to the Franklin County Republican Party, so here is an update on the current status of the Washington State PCO system of elections.

Democrats and Republicans Unite 

to Preserve Crucial PCO Elections

Seattle – Today, the Washington State Democratic and Republican Parties jointly filed suit in the Thurston County Superior Court to ensure that the state fulfills its legal obligation to facilitate the elections of PrecinctCommittee Officers [PCOs].

For over 100 years, Washington law has required the state to conduct PCO elections every two years.  But in October, Secretary of State Sam Reed proposed rules to abolish the elections of PCOs.  Despite the objections to these proposed rules by both political parties and innumerable grassroots party members, Reed adopted the proposed rules on December 6.  Secretary Reed exceeded his authority by adopting rules that purport to abolish the state's obligation to conduct these important grassroots elections.

“Washington’s Legislature passed PCO laws in 1907 to preventthe political corruption exhibited by Party bosses like Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall,” Dwight Pelz, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party and Kirby Wilbur, chair of the Washington State Republican Party, said jointly. “Elected by voters in their own precincts, PCOs play a vital role in governing and organizing the affairs of Washington’s major political parties.  To lose PCOs would be a loss for transparency, accountability, and good government.”

Earlier this year, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington ruled that due to Washington's recently adopted top-two primary system, the current method by which the state holds PCO elections is unconstitutional.  However, the court did not strike down the innumerable statutes that require the state to conduct these elections.  In fact, the court suggested several alternative methods for the state to meet its statutory obligation.  

Since the laws requiring the election of PCOs remain on the books, the state is obligated to identify a constitutional method for conducting these elections.  Both of Washington's major political parties have offered to work with the Secretary of State to solve that problem, but he has refused to engage in a constructive dialogue.  Regardless of his position, the secretary simply does not have the authority to ignore state law by unilaterally eliminating PCO elections.

“Given the vital functions that PCOs play in our system of government, we strongly urge Secretary Reed to work with the legislature to find a constitutional method for preserving these elections,” said Pelz and Wilbur.

-James

Looking at the Occupy Movement

Motivation

Over the last month we have watched as the movement known as the Occupy Wall Street group has grown up rapidly in most cities.  Arguably numbering more than the Tea Party had been, the focus of the Occupy movement is greatly different, however much of the sentiment expressed is very similar.

With a few notable exceptions, most of the outrages which the Occupiers have focused on are fairly common and familiar to Tea Partiers:  high-level corruption, international bank graft, bailouts going overseas and to giant corporations such as McDonalds and Walmart, golden parachutes of CEOs who've gutted their own company, and so on.

For the last two years I have been telling anyone who would listen that the left wing of American commoners would develop their own Tea Party resistance movement, and everyone told me I was crazy.  "I can't imagine what it would look like," said one of the Tri-Cities Tea Party organizers to me.  It has been my stance that when it occurred, it would be time to reach out to the organizers of this group and give them "basic American history 101," as viewed by the conservatives who have watched our country deflate because of politicians who have worked with big business against the main street for decades.

Most of the philosophical differences can be summed up as big government vs. small government.  I believe that when you overcome that primary discussion, there are few reasons that most Occupiers can't be brought to the viewpoint of the Tea Party.

Today is the day that Oakland Liberation Front has chosen to create a violent atmosphere... they've been dropping leaflets around Oakland California telling pacifists to "stay out of our way."  I'll email you the leaflet if you want it, it's not worth posting.  Early in the Tea Party movement their were calls for physical resistance, which were quickly pacified by the organization leaders at large.  This brings us to the other difference: media coverage.

Where the Tea Party was castigated as a reviled organization of racially-biased, ignorant, backwoods simpletons by most of the media (none of which is based in any reality, especially here in the Tri-Cities), the Occupiers are being cast in a wonderfully sacrificial light.  These are people who are put forward by most of the television and mainstream internet media sources as "heroes of the people," in true Soviet fashion.  Where the Tea Party was being called violent and extreme, the Occupiers are being called upon to be that very thing.

One of the bigger problems going forward that the Occupy movement will have is that they are going to encounter a lot of internal philosophical problems.  Why be upset at capitalism, when we're not in a real capitalism system anymore anyway?  Why be upset at the top 1% when you are probably about at about the 5% level yourself?  Why would you want to bury the almost-dead concept of personal growth when you could restore it and begin a return to the foundational concepts that brought us the most well-off middle class in history?  Why be upset at the heads of corporations while specifically ignoring the big-government trends that led to the ability of these companies to behave as they have?

There is a lot to appreciate about the Occupy movement, I feel, as I expected that they would have many of the same outrages as the folks on the right.  When I travel between far left and far right communities and talk to people, most of the concerns are fairly similar. 

The left has a fairly good understanding of what social-opinion-manipulation looks like when it applies to the right, but can't see it staring them in the face when it's targeting them.  The right has a stronger understanding of the way that our nearly-gone system of economics has been demotivated, but can't see past it's own spending problems.  There's not really anyone on either side who notices when major shifts in mass consciousness happen, such as in this year when the left began their shift towards neo-con and the right began their shift towards greater taxation.

People on the right were offended en masse when they were being called names as the Tea Party started to grow and thrive a few years back.  Don't let the Occupiers become the enemies of the Tea Party, because that is when the cultural divide will be complete and irreversible.  Go meet an Occupier and invite them to discuss what crony-capitalism is, what views you have in common, and what a better future might look like.  You'll be surprised what similarities there are when names aren't being thrown.

The Tea Party wants a different, better world too, and an overthrow of the current system.  What we need is a return to civility between the people, and a commonly understood history. 

Yours in Red, White and True,

Uncle James

This cartoon I add in spite of the fact that putting it here could be perceived as going against my views, because it's fairly much the way I view mainstream media anyway.  It's not intended to be a true caricature of the accurate personalities involved, but rather the "spin" that happens in social-opinion-manipulation media.

Tightening Grip on Cash

Outlawing "Small Scale" Transactions

Some states take a massive step forward in establishing public awareness of new status quos in regulations and laws.  Small government critics have long lectured on the likelihood and processes which will begin to occur as we continue to chip away at the usage of cash for personal transactions.  

There's nothing wacky about this.  A large government based on regulating the cash out of it's constituent's wallets has to remove variables such as yard sales and flea markets to maximize profits, despite the importance of personal transactions to an economy.  

"This summer, the State Legislature and Governor of Louisiana passed a law that bans individuals and businesses from transacting in cash if they are considered a “secondhand dealer”.  House Bill 195 of the 2011 Regular Session (Act 389) broadly defines a secondhand dealer to include   “… Anyone, other than a non-profit entity, who buys, sells, trades in or otherwise acquires or disposes of junk or used or secondhand property more frequently than once per month from any other person, other than a non-profit entity, shall be deemed as being in the business of a secondhand dealer. ” The law then states that “A secondhand dealer shall not enter into any cash transactions in payment for the purchase of junk or used or secondhand property. 

 Payment shall be made in the form of check, electronic transfers, or money order issued to the seller of the junk or used or secondhand property…”  The broad scope of this definition can essentially encompass everyone; from your local flea market vendors and buyers to a housewife purchasing goods on ebay or craigslist, to a group of guys trading baseball cards, they could all be considered secondhand dealers. 

Lawmakers in Louisiana have effectively banned its citizens from freely using United States legal tender.

The law goes further to require secondhand dealers to turn over a valuable business asset, namely, their business’ proprietary client information.  For every transaction a secondhand dealer must obtain the seller’s personal information such as their name, address, driver’s license number and the license plate number of the vehicle in which the goods were delivered.  They must also make a detailed description of the item(s) purchased and submit this with the personal identification information of every transaction to the local policing authorities through electronic daily reports.  If a seller cannot or refuses to produce to the secondhand dealer any of the required forms of identification, the secondhand dealer is prohibited from completing the transaction."

Interestingly, pawn shops are exempt from most of these stipulations.  Pawns shops are second only to the payday loan firms as "most predatory businesses" on the lower class's wealth base.

Expect to see this happen slowly and surely in other states... don't expect it on the news.  A Vat Tax won't be fully realized until there is a fee paid in taxes EVERY TIME ANYTHING changes hands... and like it or not, we're heading that way faster than anyone can predict.  Worst part?  I am starting to expect it to be the GOP which pushes us into it when the time comes...

Yours in Red, White and True,

Uncle James

Source:

http://ackelandassociates.com/cash-transactions-banned-by-louisiana/

More info/ read the text:

http://www.mygov365.com/legislation/view/id/4db66f7549e51bd334be0300/tab/overview/

Congressional Supercommittee

Transparency Act

 The new Congressional Supercommittee, which includes our own Patty Murray, will have absolute power over financial considerations as a result of the 2011 debt ceiling debacle.  As good as it was to have opened up the recurring situation of increasing the allowance for debt to public debate and scrutiny, for the first time in a meaningful way, the result of the "eleventh hour" decision to create a legislative body which is above the involvement of the people's congress and which bridges the legislative and executive bodies is a horrendous result.  

The Supercommittee will decide where budget changes are to be made, then the real Congress will have to vote "Yes" or "No."  

An outside observer might come to the conclusion that this usurpation of the body politic might have been the intended outcome from the start, and that the media frenzy might have been intended to stoke the vitriol and fury of the populace so that when this surprise conclusion occurred, it would pass through our understanding and into a lack of scrutiny along with our sighs of relief that the crisis had passed.  This observer, of course, would have to be a crank, despite the history of the President and Beohner meeting secretly and without revealing to White House staff their goals, as recently chronicled in Time magazine and other sources.

Now there is a new bill being put forward which would force the Supercommittee into transparency of which lobbies they meet with behind closed doors.  I would like to suggest that we look into supporting this bill, which does not have  bipartisan support, but I further suggest that it ought to.

"To amend the Budget Control Act of 2011 to require members and staff of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to disclose lobbying activities and campaign or member-designated political action committee contributions, and for other purposes."

Some of Patty Murray's largest lobby interests:

• Emily's List: Emily's List is a group of political committees whose mission is to elect pro-choice women to Congress. On its website, the organization says it has raised more than $85 million for candidates since 1985. Emily's List does not lobby Congress. In the blog on its website, it has expressed a preference for preserving entitlement programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
• Microsoft: The Washington state-based software maker lobbied on federal health information technology programs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act--better known as the stimulus--provided $22.6 billion in funding for health IT projects. Peter Neupert, vice president of the company's health solutions group, testified before Congress in January 2009 about the technologies the company had to offer to health care providers (the Recovery Act health IT funds go to doctors and hospitals, who then purchase software). Microsoft is also a federal contractor; since 2009, it's been awarded more than $275 million in contracts according to data in USASpending.gov.
• University of Washington: The school lobbies on funding for Pell Grants. In 2010, they amounted to more then $32 billion in tuition aid to students and their schools; since 2001, the University of Washington has received more than $837 million from the program, according to data on USASpending.gov. The school also lobbies on all appropriations bills; since 2001, the University of Washington has received $8.9 billion in federal support, including grants and direct student loans, according to data in USASpending.gov.
• Boeing: The aerospace giant was the second largest recipient of federal contracts in 2010, and lobbies on Defense, NASA and other spending bills. In its most recent annual report, Boeing disclosed that 43 percent of its revenues in 2010 came from federal government contracts, and notes, "The termination or reduction of funding for existing or new U.S. government programs could result in a material adverse effect on our earnings, cash flow and financial position."
• Council for a Livable World: The political nonprofit advocates on a variety of issues related primarily to nuclear proliferation. Their most recent lobbying disclosure report touches on many of these--opposition to spending on missile defense systems (which they peg at more than $10.7 billion in the current budget), and support for increased funding for nuclear material security and nonproliferation; in 2010, $2.1 billion was appropriated for such programs, according to the Council.

To find out more about this bill, check out govtrack's synopsis: 

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-2860

This is the organization which is behind this bill (not necessarily conservative 

but that hardly negates the need for this transparency, or something similar) :

http://sunlightfoundation.com/supercommittee/

Yours in Red, White and True,

Uncle James

Wesley Clark : Syria, Lebanon next

Discusses greater themes of Middle East invasions

This video, which was recorded in October of 2007, at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, forshadows the invasion of Libya.  It's really making the rounds online right now.

Wesley Clark reminds us that the attack on Libya fits into a larger context, and reinforces the growing belief of younger Americans that Progressive leaders have similar agendas to NeoConservative leaders such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.  This also serves to underline the differences between classical conservatives, and the Trotsky-inspired NeoConservative movement.

The most interesting moment occurs at just after two minutes into the video, if you want to skip ahead:

Though Obama said he would close down the wars and bring home the troops, he intensified the troop levels on the ground in Afghanistan, and suggested the end of the occupation of Afghanistan into 2024 at the earliest.  

Clark has been criticized for discussing NeoConservative planning in the past.  He said the following during a speech at the University of Alabama in October of 2006, recounting a conversation with a general at the Pentagon:

I said, “Are we still going to invade Iraq?” “Yes, Sir,” he said, “but it’s worse than that.” I said, “How do you mean?” He held up this piece of paper. He said, “I just got this memo today or yesterday from the office of the Secretary of Defense upstairs. It’s a… five-year plan. We’re going to take down seven countries in five years. We’re going to start with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, then Libya, Somalia, Sudan, we’re going to come back and get Iran in five years. I said, “Is that classified, that paper?” He said, “Yes Sir.” I said, “Well, don’t show it to me, because I want to be able to talk about it.”

Now, I do understand the viewpoint of the folks who see preemptive assaults as way to head off disaster from a future uprising of less-civic minded regimes than the puppet leaders we have put in to place.  Aside from a discussion about whether that form of hegemonic goal actually leads to those results at all, I also can't escape the view that those leaders who wave that credo are being used by globalist leadership.  I don't mean those who aren't isolationists, I mean the kind of folks who are determined to wreck all nation-states and eradicate national sovereignty and borders. That this effort may hasten the destruction of the “world’s policeman,” the United States, is an extra added bonus for these folks. 

Tripoli is conquered.

The war in Libya is. . . well, is it over now? 

Will President Obama begin to withdraw troops?  

I think I know the answer to that but now we'll start a discussion about whether we should or not.

How much credit will American forces get?

Two of Gaddafi's sons have been captured.  BBC claims that Gaddifi's compound is essentially the next target::  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14611549

Now, most of our forces "over there" are concentrated around the countries closer to China and Russia, with a more long term strategy in mind.  Will we really need to keep soldiers around there, or set up shop in the area?

Well, Africom, the US DoD command in charge of operations on the Continent of Africa, is currently still located in Germany, as an "evolution" of the European command, EUcom.

http://www.africom.mil/AboutAFRICOM.asp

Will our contractors not bother to push for building our first Africom base nearby, in the next few years?  Would President Obama try to make a case for humanitarian base development?

I don't think we'll need to worry too hard about how to stretch troops from overseas to fill a gap there.  We have been reducing troop numbers in Iraq.

Besides, with commitments like this we'll not have to worry about our shield around the Far East::

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8712701/US-troops-may-stay-in-Afghanistan-until-2024.html

You know, and we have better surveillance across the board now so we don't need to worry about concentrating so much effort over there on the ground, with the Obama push for covert operations and the acceptance of it from liberal mainstreamers due to the "cost cutting effect" of it, and the proliferation of  "radar-stealth" Unmanned Aerial Drones used in Afghanistan (which doesn't have any insurgents equipped with radar so critics say they're surveilling Pakistan and they were used in the Bin Laden strike), and the launch in November or December of this year of the first surveillance blimp in the world (which has been talked about for years, but hasn't gained any mainstream attention)  http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07/spy-blimp-battle/ we don't have to pay as many informants.  

Not that we won't, because they come cheap.

Well.  Now I'm getting ahead of myself.

As of now, according to CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/08/22/libya.war/index.html?iref=BN1&hpt=hp_t1) they are just mopping up now, and now THREE of Gaddifi's sons have been captured.

I don't know how many brothers they have but it ain't looking good for any of them.

According to Fox News, nobody knows if Gaddafi is in that compound still or not.  He hasn't been seen since May, apparently.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/22/heavy-clashes-near-qaddafi-compound-as-rebels-overtake-most-tripoli/

The Franklin County Republicans no longer host a forumboard for discussion.  In coming weeks it will be available again, but not as a supplicant of this party.

Yours in Red, White and True,

Uncle James

Rebecca Wodder

I have been asked to pass along this message.  Please read it and be aware of the changes coming to your state's energy policies.

Preserving our dams is one of my strongest inclinations but there are a lot of people who are on the war path to removing them... 

... this development neither surprises me nor does it cause me to think that this is anything but a warm up from the deindustrialization corner.  Won't you please take the time to concern yourself with this issue?

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce Calls for Your Support:   

  

Please call and write Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray today, asking them to oppose President Obama's appointment of Rebecca Wodder to the Interior Department's next Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. (see our formal letter of request attached letter to Cantwell)

Rebecca Wodder, who since 1995 has served as CEO of American Rivers, a national river conservation group, was picked to replace Tom Strickland, who left the Interior for the private sector in early January.  Ms. Wodder advocates Lower Snake River Dam removal without consideration to the remarkable stock improvements that have occurred without dam removal.  Wodder even criticized the BiOp (Salmon and Steelhead restoration plan for the Columbia River) that the Obama administration supports, as the tribes, Democrat & Republican lawmakers.

Removal of the Lower Snake River Dams would have a devastating effect on the Tri-Cities, and would prove to be an economic disaster for Washington State.  The Columbia River hydropower system provides carbon-free electricity to industries throughout the region, and provides hundreds-of-thousands of jobs whether it be manufacturing, agriculture, trade and transportation to name a few.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce has formally requested Senator Cantwell to oppose the Senate Confirmation of Rebecca Wodder.

Read the Chamber's opposition letter here.

Come to the SW Washington Conservative Talk Forum to discuss this request at  http://talkconservative.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=119

Representatives Contact Information:

Senator's Offices:

The Honorable Patty Murray        448 Dirksen Senate Office Building   
Washington, DC 20510
Jaime_shimek@murray.senate.gov
Fax: 202-228-0514
   
The Honorable Maria Cantwell     511 Dirksen Senate Office Building   
Washington, DC  20510
Joel_merkel@cantwell.senate.gov
Fax: 509-453-7731       

Washington's United States House of Representatives:

The Honorable Richard "Doc" Hastings
1203 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
www.house.gov/writerep
Fax:  202-225-3251

The Honorable Cathy McMorris-Rodgers   
2421 Rayburn House Office Building 
Washington, DC  20515
cathy.mcmorris@mail.house.gov
Fax: 202-225-3392

Washington's Governor

Governor Chris Gregoire           
State of Washington               
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA  98504
chris.gregoire@gov.wa.gov
Fax:  360-753-4110